In "poorer" economies service jobs are handled by servants, and the relationship is more personal and human. This could be good or bad depending on the "master". It has the potential to be better than an economic relationship, and may not be worse than an economic relationship if the "master" follows laws (or not, cf. Hong Kong domestics). In any case the gig economy is just replacing a "human master" with a "machine master".

Probably servants are better compensated too because the transaction has fewer middlemen.